The Most Epic Christmas Card of ALL Time

I am OBSESSED with our Christmas cards this season.  I’ve had to keep it a secret for months.  It was brutal.  Let me tell ya!

My girlfriend and I like to walk around the city when the weather is nice.  One day, we were walking down Armitage and passed Classic Kids.  There was a giant poster in the window advertising “The Dog Days of Summer” and my friend said to me, “I’m surprised you haven’t done that yet.”  And to be honest, when she said that I totally agreed.  I’m obsessed with my dog, Riley.  I mean he is the cutest thing to have ever walked the Earth.  Haha.

I called the next day and made an appointment.  I warned the woman on the phone that while my 6 lb long haired chihuahua is the cutest dog she will ever see, he can be the devil in a cute body and to beware.

We arrived to our appointment on July 21st.  Yes, this happened in July.  I went to our appointment with the only intention of having a nice studio portrait taken of Riley.  Well, he ended up making a complete and utter liar out of me.  He was the most perfect dog.  He listened to every command I gave him and posed like a rockstar.  You would have thought he had done this every day of his 10 year life!  They couldn’t get over how easy it was to photograph him.

The process was pretty simple for us.  There was a photographer and a photographer’s assistant.  I was near Riley giving commands and treats.  We took a few shots on the wood floor near the windows of the studio for a more “at home” type of look.  Then, we moved into the studio and took several shots on a white backdrop.  The bulbs were flashing and clicking, but never once was Riley startled or distracted.  It was quite amazing.

About a week later, I was invited to come back into the studio to go through the images.  It was during this meeting that I was told I should use a photo or two to create our Christmas cards and “just get them done and out of the way now.”  They are such great sales women over there… haha.  I instantly took the bait.  Riley took so many great photos. I ended up walking out of there having ordered a small portrait and Christmas cards.  Luckily, the Christmas cards have four images of him and our Feliz Navidad idea naturally came together after I saw the hilarious pictures of him dancing.  It’s his jam.

Initially, my husband thought I was insane for doing this.  He even said… “what if no one knows who the card is from because it only has a picture of our dog on it?!”  My response?  “If they don’t know who Riley is then they aren’t truly our friend.”  Haha.  Seriously though.  Riley has a huge presence.  I consistently post about him on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, bring him everywhere, etc.

Anyways, I mailed out our cards on November 30th and have never received so many text messages in my life that week.  Gah… he’s the cutest ever.  Ok, so without further ado.  Here is the front and back of our amazing cards.

I mean, look at that face!  Love.

Classic Kids was amazing to work with, but they are pricey even with the summer discount.  Overall, I’m so happy that I did this.  Riley is 10 years old now (praying he lives to 20) and these are photos we will keep forever.

Have you ever taken your dog to get professional pictures taken?  Let me know about your experience in the comment section below!

XO, Lauren